Trane Acquires Energy Storage Firm CALMAC

All aboard! Aiming to take pressure off the U.S. energy grid, NC-based HVAC giant Trane has begun integrating CALMAC ice storage tanks

Nov 10, 2017

Indoor comfort systems and services provider Trane, a brand of Ingersoll Rand, acquired Fair Lawn, N.J.-based CALMAC Corp., a privately held company specializing in cool energy technologies including IceBank storage tanks. The value of this acquisition was not disclosed or material.

CALMAC ice storage tanks are integrated with Trane commercial heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to take pressure off the energy grid. The ice storage tanks store energy, similar to a battery, and use that energy to cool commercial buildings during times when the cost of energy is high. This reduces the strain on public utilities, reduces operating costs for building owners and allows for better use of renewable forms of energy.

“We are pleased to incorporate CALMAC solutions into our leading portfolio of energy-efficient systems and services,” said Donny Simmons, president of the commercial HVAC business of Ingersoll Rand. “With CALMAC, we are well positioned to offer customers even greater choices for reducing energy and operating costs and capitalizing on the multi-billion energy services market opportunity.”

More than 4,000 businesses and institutions in 60 countries rely on CALMAC's thermal energy storage to cool their buildings, including some prominent buildings in the United States such as Rockefeller Center and the Credit Suisse Building in New York City and an Ingersoll Rand North America headquarters building in Davidson, N.C. The energy-efficient thermal storage systems reduce energy usage by roughly 35 percent by decreasing the need for carbon-emitting "peak plants" — power plants that kick in when there is high demand for electricity.

“We know that with the support and investments from Trane and its parent, Ingersoll Rand, CALMAC can expand the availability and distribution of our products, serving new and existing customers with the energy storage and ice solutions they demand,” said Mark MacCracken, chief executive officer of CALMAC.